An engaging, rewarding read, much needed these days. Though they discussed the problems these three faiths have with each others claims to chosenness and truth, and hinted a few times at needing to widen the dialogue to include "other" non Abrahamic faiths, they did so in a way which indicates some lingering conceit and self righteousness. Hmm. Can't we rejoice in how our common spiritual yearnings find various expression in different cultures?

This book was great...' kept my full attention. The last book I reviewed was about the same religions, but this one was so much better. It gave me a much better understanding of the common Islamic views. You get the words straight from the discussion between the 3 faiths, not just one man's research of other men. This book is very simple for any reader to enjoy. It is always great not only to see comparative religion but to see people with entirely different views on the same subjects conversing "in a beautiful manner". They are struggling to find a way to bring their views together, and the Christian commented on how very close he was to including Muhammad as a prophet of God. Their struggles just begged one uniting cry in my mind, although they didn't know it themselves: Baha'i.

This book is based on live dialogue between well-qualified spokesmen representing Judaism, Christianity and Islam, presented before audiences throughout the United States. It provides an excellent insight into each religious tradition, and left me with a greater appreciation for what the three faiths have in common. Worth reading by anyone who wants to better understand the relationships between the three Western religions that trace their beginnings to Abraham

Rav Kook is the greatest Jewish thinker in the last 200 years because he most fully understands the spiritual crisis of the modern Jew. Although there were a number of dynamic Jewish religious leaders who took up the mantle of leadership in order to rebuild the shattered remnants of the Jewish world in the wake of the Holocaust such as the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik and the Satmar Rov, their message was basically directed at a relatively small group of Jews. Rav Kook has a message for the entire Jewish people. His great contributions were: (1) to emphasize the dynamic nature of both the spiritual and physical worlds, and, one the one hand, tell the traditional religious Jew that the Torah is flexible and can stand up to the challenges of modernity and change, while on the other hand demonstrating the perpetual relevance of the Torah to the Jew who has a less than full commitment to it; and (2) to demonstrate the absolute necessity of the Jewish people to return to the Land of Israel and build a modern society rooted in the Torah. This fine book gives a sampling of these ideas and is a good introduction to the mind of this remarkable thinker.

Rav Kook was the first Chief Rabbi of Palestine and helped lead the continuing dialogue of Jewish Mysticism into the 20th century. This collection of his writings is both profound and beautiful. Some of the pieces such as 'The Lights of Penitance' might appeal only to scholars, but Kook's poetry can be appreciated by all. His idea of a unified Judaism where the secular and the holy both make up parts of the whole are very moving. Other themes include vegetarianism and a universal love for all people.

This book was a wonderful survey and introduction of Rav Kook's works. The philosophical texts are compelling and inspiring, the letters are touching and personal, and the poetry exposed a sincerity and passion which could not be harvested from any history book. Fantastic, meaty reading.

This is a children's book about the life of Abraham Lincoln. First written and illustrated in 1939, it was expanded in 1957. Most of the book focuses on Lincoln's early life. The illustrations resulted in the book being awarded the 1940 Caldecott Medal for best illustrations in a children's book. It is a book that helps children learn more about U.S. history and a great president. It is also a book that should be on the shelf of any serious student of children literature.

This book is in a word, charming. This book is a true story of the life of Abraham Lincoln, from his birth to his presidency. This book is educational and informative, without being dry and boring as many history books tend to be. Children as young as 4 will be interested, as well as kids through the teen years. Simply worded, but not babyish, brilliantly illustrated, but not unreal. Youngsters will learn and retain much about the life of one of our most admired, courageous and beloved presidents. D'Aulaire at his usual shining best! A Caldecott medal/honor book.

This famous book on Abraham Lincoln (emphasizing his growing up) by the great children's book authors, the d'Aulaires, is as fresh as ever. A sparkling cover. Fascinating and charming illustrations, based on their own visit to the locations. Clear, absorbing text. Deserves it's fame. A wonderful introduction. Great fun.

In this book, President Carter shares his experiences in dealing with Middle Eastern leaders as they attempted to create peace throughout the region. President Carter uses religious history to bring coherent insight to the reader about this conflict and proposed resolutions. Through his descriptions of the heads of state at the Camp David Summit, President Carter exposes each leader's humanity (including his own)giving the reader further understanding of this situation and politics overall. As one interested in what happens behind the scenes, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and give it thumbs up to like-minded readers.

Published in a new and affordable trade paperback edition by The University of Arkansas Press, The Blood Of Abraham: Insights Into The Middle East offers interested readers the unique perspectives and insights by former President Jimmy Carter into the political turmoil of the core Middle Eastern countries that are so much in the forefront of today's "War on Terrorism" international policy discussions. President Carter essentially demystifies and describes each nation's political, economic, and international expectations, their differing goals, and their principle socioeconomic and international concerns. President Carter is one of the very few American statesmen whose reasoning and encouragements are taken at face value by Jews, Muslims, and Christians both in the Middle East and here at home.

This book gives good insights and makes you under stand the middle east where the countries in the middle east are coming from. He examens Israel, Syria, Lebanon, The Palestinians, Jordan, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia and tell what there interests are. If you want to understand the Middle East better or are just interested in polotics, or history I would Highly reommend this book.

Gil Renard is a failed knife salesman, failed husband and a failed father. Gil lives in the distant past when he was twelve years old and the MVP of his little league team. Gil is fueled by rage at the world who doesn't see his importance. Gil is going to prove to the world that he does matter by getting baseball player Bobby Rayburn out of his batting slump, no matter who or what gets in his way.

This book is a slow read and doesn't get going at all until the last sixty pages when Gil's pent up rage explodes.

I gave this to a female friend and she was hesitant because there was a baseball on the cover. "It's not just about baseball," I told her. She returned it a day later saying she stayed up until she finished it. Being from Boston area made book fun and I could visualize scenes. Youn start out feeling bad for Gil, but, oh, do things change.

Abrahams weaves a compact tale about NO ONE versus SOMEONE, while the two of them really suffer from the same affliction: they take themselves too seriously. Using baseball as a backdrop, Abrahams draws us in as the two main characters converge and collide. A good, quick, suspenseful read, especially for the baseball fan

This is a good read, but somewhere around the second half of the book, it loses a little. The main characters whining and fantasizing both get a little tedious. And the final punch of seeing her brother again loses a bit when it comes right after a supposedly real meeting with Abe Lincoln. Are both encounters fantasy?

This is the best book i have read in a long time. 16- year- old Meghan is angry with the world. She is angry at her father(whom she calls THE BANKER) because he sent her brother Killian, off to fight in the Korean War, agnst Killian's will. The Korean War has ruined Killian's way of thinking. She is angry at Dr. Take-more, and Dr. Take-less, for taking away her leg. She is mangry at the nuns in her old school for expelling her. She is angry at her day nurse for having somebody ele's baby. She is anry at Sam for trying to help her learn to run again. Throughout her hard times, she turnes to her hero, Abraham Lincon who has been dead for a while. Throughout the book she writes postcards to her her hero on anything she can find.
This compelling novel should be on the bookshelf of all teens.

Ages 12 and older will find this an involving story telling of an ex-runner's struggle with the removal of her leg due to cancer. Her anger and struggle to overcome her disability take the form of letters written to a past idol, Abe Lincoln, which help her come to grips with her life.

Margaret successfully draws attention to a topic considered taboo by most South Asians: Marital Violence. This book is a perfect blend of factual information and personal stories. Together, they form an invaluable resource useful to anyone interested in learning about marital violence in a community that brings its own complications to the already-so situation. The narratives help put a human face on this global crisis. The analysis and framework provided by Abraham help contextualize these women's dilemmas. The reader will walk away without the judgemental eyes they may have once seen from. Since not many other sources are willing to tackle this complex subject, this is a must-have and more importantly, a must-read.

Margaret Abraham has poured an enormous effort into sorting out the various dynamics, both above the surface and well below, of the discourse centering on the plight of South Asian women coming to the United States. It is to her credit that her research has such size and substance yet provides compelling reading, with implications for many other areas of scholarship, including feminist theory. Her narrative, rich as it is in detail from the interviews she conducted, has to do with discerning ways that scholars document brutal secrets existing in an extremely contested discourse, not that of assigning some kind of victimhood. This is an important work on a difficult topic. A must read.

Speaking the Unspeakable explores the issues surrounding family violence in the South Asian community. Factors such as immigration status, accepted gender roles and the maintenance of the model minority are discussed. Furthermore, through the voices of survivors, Abraham challenges the stereotypes of Asian women as passive and submissive. She shows the strategies used by these women to combat family violence on both personal and community levels. The book is certainly helpful to anyone doing research either in the South Asian community or on domestic violence generally. However, it is written so that it is also accessible as a resource for those with no academic training. This is not dry scholarly writing. It is a richly woven story that details the complexities of domestic violence for the South Asian community in the United States.

This book is a very good *scientific* biography of Einstein. This is both its strength and weakness. It is a strength because the author is clearly very knowledgeable about the subject, and therefore I couldn't think of a better book than this one. However, to appreciate the ins and outs of the scientific work of Einstein, you need to be a scientist yourself, or at least be very interested in the subject, because Pais does not avoid technical discussions. Not at all.

Therefore, for people without knowledge on this level, the book is not so accessible (I think), which may lead to disappointments. However, for this group of readers there is also good news: the author has organized the book into two interwoven 'sections': a part that is purely biographical and contains no technical discussions, and a technical part. The two parts are easily recognizable in the table of contents. This makes the book interesting and useful for a broad public.

Summarizing: this high quality book makes no light reading, but it is worth the effort, and the money.

that is what Einstein had to say, when in 1921 he was confronted with rumours that a non-zero aether drift had been discovered by Dayton Miller, a one-time junior of Albert Michaelson. When asked what he meant by this, he remarked "Nature hides her secrets because of her essential loftiness, but not by means of ruse". He is also said to have opined that he had "not for a moment taken [Miller's results] seriously". That was the kind of faith that Albert Einstein had in the laws of Nature that he discovered...a deep faith not capable of rational foundation..

Albert Einstein...the man...the philosopher...the scientist...the physicist...the humanist...the legend...so much has already been written about this one extraordinary human being, that you can be forgiven for grimacing when you see this book and thinking, 'oh, no ! not another one in this never-ending craze'...but think again...this is THE definitive scientific biography of Herr Professor Einstein, coming as it is from a physicist who was close to this great man towards the end of his life. Abraham Pais does a superb job of presenting the state of physics before Einstein, how he changed that and how it has evolved since his times. Science was Einstein's life, his devotion, his refuge, and his source of detachment...Science was his religion...In order to understand the man, then, it is necessary to follow his scientific ways of thinking and doing...and that is what the book precisely does...

One more thing...this is not a layman's book...if you have only a little idea of physics, and are averse to mathematical details, then look elsewhere...this is not for you...but if you have that 'holy curiosity' and 'wonderment of the spectacle that is science', with loads of perseverance, this book does an excellent job of satisfying that quest...it can inspire you to seek greater heights of understanding...(there are tons of references to other more detailed texts)...in the end, you will have had but just a glimpse of Einstein's oeuvre. Thank you.

Pais's book is the best scientific biography of Einstein to date. The author, as an eminent particle physicist turned historian, has the ability to understand and portray Einstein's work as few others could. Foelsing's biography is better for depicting Einstein's "life and times", and the scientific milieu in which Einstein came to maturity.

And this time trough those primitive manifestations performed by that very primitive peoples like aborigenes from Australia, North and South America indians and many others discovered by colonization european, manifestation that we are used to call by Totem and Taboo. This is the standard Freud's view on the subject and to understand this book is a necessary step to proceed to other important Freud's work like Moses and Monotheism, The Future of an Ilusion and many others, where he approaches with reluctance the idea of religion as an offspring of early animism.

The prior standard way of seeing these types of primitive manifestation was to see them trough the amount of dread the primitive men have against the manifestation of some praeternatural agency, to use a term used by Mr.Thorstein Veblen, a contemporary of Freud, in his magnificent book on the leisure class (The Theory of the Leisure Class). It is worthy to note that nobody can be sure on the origins of this type of tradition and that adds substance to Mr.Freud's arguments.

Sigmund Freud goes a step further to the classical view and says that totemism and taboo as animism are the manifestation of something not outside ourselves but rather inside human minds of the primitive people, where the unconscious played a good part to the forming of this kind of culture manifestation and where there is an intricate and unconscious and almost mathematical calculation in order to attribute to the priest-king, who typifies the carrier of this tradition, both the pleasures and the burden of the function. In Freud's view, both totem and taboo are traditions that have to find their origim in the unconscious of that primitive folks and not in the concurrence of fear to the dead, following the tradition of his many other books on the latent manifestations of the unconscious. The ritual and actual killing of the father by the Horde or Band of Brothers, who are in search of vital space for their development, is the real reason behind all that happens afterwards and, following Freud's hypotheses, are the groundwork of modern and ancient religion.

The concepts here explained will be fundamental to the development of the hypotheses developed latter in Moses and Monotheism.

Totem and Taboo, along with _The Future of an Illusion_, should be necessary reading for any serious student of social science. Of course, there are massive holes in Freud's arguments (such as his tendancy to make sweeping generalizations about other cultures from his armchair in Europe), but people who disagree with him for moral and ethical reasons tend to amplify those holes and simply ridicule Freud the man instead of intelligently approaching his arguments.
The fact is, his suppositions about parental relations (as they relate to "totem" cultures), about religion, and about sexuality are extremely relevant and have proven, over the years, to possess an extraordinary predictive power. Even if one disagrees with this literature, one should read it and know exactly what they disagree with.

Parricide, guilt, cannibalism--what's not to love?

Very difficult reading about the nature of self-actualization and higher human values, but if you like authoritative credentials, you can't get much better than Maslow's.

--Richard Brodie, author, Virus of the Mind: The New Science of the Mem

i could not put down this book. the only vague idea i had from Maslow was the classic pyramid of needs, of which i did not think much. I could not have been more wrong! this book lifted the veil from my eyes, i just so thouroughly identify with the author's views. i wish i had read this book 10 years ago. Maslow is so honest, his style so fluid, his statements so powerful. this book is all about what it means to be human, and it gives faith again in human nature, yet we are facing so many hurdles in our world. while reading it on a train journey, i stopped for a second and looked thru the windows of the cabin. there i saw some clouds in the blue sky, and i felt tears coming up to my eyes. I felt like a follower who had just met his prophet...

....about the possibilities of becoming fully human. This was one of the books that inspired me to study psychology. An eminently sane look at the "higher reaches" from the psychologist who dared to wonder why we study sickness but not health.